Answered simply: multiple gestures helps a student find more comprehensive meaning in your L2 phrase. The question, “How are you?” (for example) has 3 distinct components: a verb, a subject pronoun and an interrogative word. How will a student find comprehensive meaning for all three components if there is only one gesture used?

If you’re like me, it’s easy to forget how confusing a foreign language can sound. Sometimes I don’t realize that even the simplest L2 words sound like a messy jumble of sounds to my students. In order to effectively help them find meaning, I need to facilitate repeated and direct connections between small, “bite-sized,” incomprehensible pieces of L2 input and a matching form of comprehensible input. Using multiple gestures for 1 target language phrase helps me do this.

If one of my students gives an answer out of turn, and I need to say, “Raise your hand,” I will repeat the L2 phrase 3-5 times. (See video example)

If my class is chatty, and I need say, “It’s important to be quiet,” I will repeat the L2 phrase 3-5 times. (See video example)

Why repeat?

Repeating a target vocabulary word/phrase multiple times can be like using a SPOTLIGHT on a theater stage or a HIGHLIGHTER on a page full of text.

If a teacher immediately repeats an L2 phrase 3-5 times it can be an effective strategy for focusing student attention on an important word or phrase. It helps a piece of L2 input to be noticed when it wouldn’t otherwise be unnoticed.

Of course repetition can get tiresome. Teacher’s can avoid tiresome repetition by giving students MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES in which the target language structures are used often enough to be noticed and acquired.

Gestures Tip #3 – Ensure students are watching the source of instruction.

Gestures won’t help any students find meaning if they aren’t watching the source of instruction. For ideas regarding how to motivate students to watch the source of instruction, browse through some of the following posts: